Romantic spa getaways to book in New York and beyond
Wouldn’t you love to surprise that special someone with a trip to some all-inclusive resort in the Turks & Caicos and wherever else in hopes of getting away from it all, lazing on the beach? Well, gee, wouldn’t we all? Real talk, though. Who’s going to spend thousands on kindling, much less rekindling? Not us, not so long as there are spas, which after all were invented so that couples could maximize alone time and the illusion of escape with a minimal amount of traveling time and expense. Indeed, whatever your budget and schedule, there are romantic idylls for every relationship — the new, the old and everything in between.
QCNY
112 Andes Rd., Governors Island
The outdoor heated pools with jacuzzi chaise lounges at QC Spa of Wonders on Governors Island. Credit: Randee Daddona
We’ve all come across destinations so fabulous and unspoiled, that blabbing about them to the whole world gives us pause, and so it is with this spa, which still flies under the radar for many, having opened in 2022 during the last days of COVID. Housed in two repurposed buildings (and soon three) that once served as army barracks on Governors Island, and reachable by short ferry rides from either Brooklyn or Manhattan, QCNY is as creative as it is dramatic (views of the city skyline from its large heated outdoor pools are dazzling, particularly at night), an adult theme park with plenty of whimsical touches and a vibe uniquely its own. Besides steam rooms and saunas of every size, configuration and humidity, a newly opened area offers a hot water waterfall that will clear your head in an instant, a room where you can lounge on waterbeds as black-and-white imagery flies across the ceiling overhead, and an attractive bistro whose robust menu includes a hot buffet.
The Salt Room at QC Spa of Wonders on Governors Island. Credit: Randee Daddona
Throughout, QCNY and its excellently trained staff offer guidance on everything from detox to massages to fun relaxation elements — a fireplace room with a reading library, another where everything appears upside-down — making QCNY that rare day spa where you need more than a day to enjoy it all.
Cost Full day is $186 per person (less for shorter stays) and includes complimentary ferry tickets from either Brooklyn or Manhattan (normally $5 round-trip). Couples massages start at $209 for a 25-minute session.
More info 646-402-9647, qcny.com.
Spa Castle
131-10 11th Ave., College Point, Queens
For Long Island couples, there’s no closer spa destination with as many bells and whistles as this Queens complex, which has recently undergone a massive renovation and now feels like a sparkling destination well worth the trip. Like other Korean spas, there are single-sex bath areas featuring hot tubs, steam rooms and saunas. After a shower, slip on your swimsuit and Spa Castle robe, then head upstairs, where you’ll encounter a series of hot rooms both traditional and nontraditional, including a color therapy room (in which lights of various hues "balance the energy within the mind, body and soul") and ice room (which "improves the body’s antioxidant capabilities.") Nearby are also several relaxation areas, a juice bar and an eatery. At the rooftop level, Spa Castle has a new Korean restaurant, several hydrotherapy pools and — taking a page from tropical resort land — a full-service, swim-up bar. Best of all, though, are two gigantic outdoor pools whose features include in-pool lounge chairs where you’ll be pummeled by hydrojets, a roofed hot tub and, overlooking them all, a large treetop relaxation room with gorgeous views of the East River and beyond.
Cost $85 per person on weekdays, $110 on Saturday and Sunday. Couples massages start at $280 for a 50-minute session.
More info 718-939-6300, ny.spacastleusa.com.
Crystal Springs Resort
1 Stonehill Dr., Vernon, New Jersey
So large you’d think it was visible from space, this resort complex 40-plus miles northwest of Manhattan is home to two hotels, six golf courses and, more to the point, two large and elaborately appointed spas open to day-trippers during the week. The first, Reflections, offers the usual steam-sauna-hot tub configuration but is dominated by a 10,000-square-foot pool landscaped with tropical plants, tricked out with a 140-foot water slide and an underground aquarium and covered by a roofing material that permits near total light transmission, and therefore year-round tanning. Couples treatment packages include one with dual massages, candlelight and soft music, and another "full-body experience" that includes everything from side-by-side exfoliation — sounds romantic, no?--as well as a warm vinotherapy rubdown. Not to be outdone, Elements, Crystal Springs’ second spa, pools and bathhouse, offers "Shared Tranquility," which features side-by-side massages of various duration.
Cost At Reflections, day passes are available Monday through Thursday only and cost $195, which includes one treatment, lunch or dinner and access to the spa’s water features. Couples packages are offered every day and start at $320 for a 50-minute massage for two. At Elements, day passes are available Monday through Thursday only and cost $179 and include the above. Couples packages start at $270 for a 50-minute session.
More info 855-977-6473, crystalgolfresort.com.
King Spa
321 Commercial Ave., Palisades Park, New Jersey
One of many “healing rooms” at King Spa, a large Korean spa in Palisades Park, N.J. Credit: Newsday/Scott Vogel
For some, the main drawing card is the largest Korean spa on the east coast, while others see it as the most wonderful, cost-effective in the tristate area. Your experience begins when you enter one of the sex-segregated bath areas featuring hot tubs, sauna or steam room. Guests will don the official uniform (a King Spa shirt and shorts) and shoelessly pad down a set of stairs, attempting to find your better half (if applicable) amid a sea of wellness types intent on discovering the healing properties of 10 different sauna rooms, each with its own composition and health claims. One is covered in a special yellow mud (prevents aging), another in volcanic soil (stamina), and yet another in amethyst crystals, promoting peace and calm while "averting the mind from psychic attacks," says a sign near the door. Believers will revel in all this, skeptics will get a good laugh, and everyone will enjoy the on-site restaurant, whose bibimbap, udon and dumplings are all surprisingly good. Don’t miss the juice bar, which doles out beautiful mounds of fruit-topped shave ice and is helpfully located within crawling distance of a sauna of burning oak wood (softer skin), a room so hot they won’t let you enter without a protective mat.
Cost Prices are $70 weekdays and $80 weekends). Packages start at $135, which includes admission and a 30-minute body scrub.
More info 201-947-9955, thekingspanj.com.
The Lodge at Woodloch
109 Birch River Lane, Hawley, Pennsylvania
Guests take water-based fitness classes at The Lodge at Woodloch. Credit: The Lodge at Woodloch
Then there’s this destination spa two-plus hours northwest of Manhattan in the Poconos that, as the name implies, is also a place for overnight stays in a pristine rural setting, as well as golf, aquatic fitness and culinary adventures. Guests at the lodge get full access to spa amenities, while day-trippers who book a couples treatment — highlights include his and her Swedish massages in a private suite — are allowed to use Woodloch’s wet and dry areas an hour before and afterward. That means hydromassaging "WaterWalls," a eucalyptus steam room, hot tubs both inside and out and a special Renewal Retreat, which contains everything from a cold "snow" room to a Himalayan salt sauna. Guests can head to the Gather Lounge for a celebratory toast to wellness.
Cost Couples treatments, which include a 75-minute massage and access to the spa’s amenities before and after treatments, start at $610.
More info 570-685-8000, thelodgeatwoodloch.com.
Rockaway Hotel
108-10 Rockaway Beach Dr., Queens
The Rockaway Hotel + Spa, in Rockaway Beach. Credit: Kyle Knodell
Finally, there’s this trendy option that’s made lots of waves on social media during this frigid season. The property has turned its outdoor swimming pool area into a full-fledged winter pool house. Not only is the pool heated, but the hotel also has installed cedar barrel saunas on the periphery, and although the facilities are primarily for overnight guests, day-trippers who book a couples treatment — or any treatment that’s at least 50 minutes long — get complimentary access to the sauna and pool one hour before. Or you can enjoy the water features by booking a day pass for the pool house alone, with the option to order drinks and food poolside.
Cost Day passes to the pool house start at $35 for four hours ($75 for the day).
More info 718-474-1216, therockawayhotel.com.
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.
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